I'm Rich!

Now, I just sit back and wait for all the cash to roll in.

My blog is worth $1,129.08.
How much is your blog worth?

Top 10 Money songs:

10. Money Rock...Schoolhouse Rocks.
9. How Much is That Doggie in the Window?...Patti Page. (Not really about money, but it is cute. I once had this on 78. Does anyone remember 78s?)
8. Pennies From Heaven...Written by Johnny Burke and Arthur Johnston, but I like the Arthur Tracy version used in the Steve Martin movie. (Sure it isn't about Money per se, but I love this song. I often sing the Bing Crosby version at karaoke.)
7. Money for Nothing...Dire Straits.
6. Money, That's what I want...Beatles, but the Blues Brothers' version is pretty kickass too. Here is a Jose Feliciano version. (He's a sexy blind man!)
5. Mony, Mony...Billy Idol (sorry, this song isn't about Money at all.)
4. We're in the Money...From Gold Diggers of 1933, Music & Lyrics by Al Dubin & Harry Warren, Sung by Ginger Rogers & chorus.
3. Money, Money...Cabaret.
2. Money...Pink Floyd.

And the #1 Money song is:

The Money Song...Monty Python (Eric Idle)

I've got ninety thousand pounds in my pajamas,
I've got forty thousand French francs in my fridge.
I've got lots of lovely lire,
Now the Deutschemark's getting dearer,
And my dollar bills would buy the Brooklyn Bridge.

Chorus: There is nothing quite as wonderful as money,
There is nothing quite as beautiful as cash.
Some people say it's folly,
But I'd rather have the lolly,
With money you can ma-ake a splash.

Finale: There is nothing quite as wonderful as money,
(money, money, money, money)
There is nothing like a newly minted pound,
(money, money, money, money)
All: Everyone must hanker for the butchness of a banker,
It's accountancy that makes the world go round.
(round, round, round)
You can keep your Marxist ways
For it's only just a phase.
For it's money money money makes the world go round.
(money, money, money, money, money, money, money, money, moneeeeeeeeeeeyyyy)

(I play this song as an introduction when I teach Money to my students.)

Twiggy, Twiggy.

Finally, a non-Puffy music post. Pizzicato Five was first recommended to me by DJ Mokugohan and I can see why their combination of fusion, Jazz, Bossa Nova, funk, etc. started off the Shibuya-Kei (渋谷系) movement of the 90's. They've been featured in Goldmember, Charlie's Angels , Brain Candy and even Paulie Shore's Jury Duty...what a claim to fame! Too bad they broke up in 2002, just think of where they'd show up next.



I first saw Twiggy on the Laugh-in show in the late 60's and she was probably the one who kicked off the anorexic supermodel look. I last saw her in the Blues Brothers, so I could be connected to the P5 via my starring* role in Blues Brothers 2000. Enjoy...








*starring = one of 500 extras in the Monster Truck scene.

Riders in the Sky.

To take a break for all those boring posts about my trip, here is a little movie for your enjoyment and if you look really hard, you may see me in the crowd!



Over the last 2 decades, I did lots of extra work in Toronto and I was in the crowd scene for Blues Brothers 2000. The movie sucked royally, but the music was great and I was overjoyed to have had an opportunity to be in it. I searched the scene frame-by-frame and I couldn't find myself. Maybe you'll have better luck.

Spiderman meets the Saturday Night Live Players.

To showcase how popular SNL players were in the late 70's, they teamed up with Spider-Man in issue 74 of his team-up comic. I had the issue and, though very silly, it was taken very seriously within the Marvel Universe. John Belushi in his Samurai role had received an ancient ring and the villainous "Silver Samurai" shows up wanting the ring. I hope I still have a copy, I'd like to re-read it for authenticity!

ジョンベルシは侍のパン人です。

Here is a script of John as Samurai Baker with Buck Henry again as the customer.

Samurai Bakery

Mr. Dantley.....Buck Henry
Samurai.....John Belushi

[ open on Mr. Dantley entering bakery, baker at counter with back turned ]

Mr. Dantley: Afternoon! Could someone help me?

[ Baker turns around behind counter, revealing himself as the Samurai, complete with puffy baker's hat atop his head ]

[ dissolve up title card ]

Announcer: It's time for another episode of.. "Samurai Bakery"!

Mr. Dantley: Boy, am I glad you're still open! You know, my brother is getting married tomorrow; I'm the best man, and like a dope, I forgot to order the wedding cake.

[ Samurai extends his sword angrily, pointing at the "Take A Number" ticket dispenser ]

Mr. Dantley: Oh, okay. [ tears a number ticket and waits ]

[ Samurai clicks machine to reveal Number 97, and repeatedly calls out the number in Japanese gibberish; when no one responds, Samurai clicks to Number 98 and calls out ]

Mr. Dantley: Yeah! Now.. I need a wedding cake.. [ notices a beautiful graduation cake on the counter ] Oh, ooh-ooh - that cake would be perfect! Listen, can you just.. take the, take the graduate off the top, and.. and.. and put on a little bride and groom?

[ Samurai points to his watch as he speaks in Japanese gibberish ]

Mr. Dantley: Ah. What time were they supposed to pick it up?

[ Samurai points to the 6 on his watch to indicate six o'clock ]

Mr. Dantley: Ooh.. ooh, what a nice watch! That's great looking! Swiss! I have a Seiko, myself. It's one of those Japanese-

[ Samurai spits in disgust and pulls his eyes back into a squint; he makes a Swiss cuckoo sound and points to the superiority of his own watch ]

Mr. Dantley: Yeah. Well, I know what you mean. [ points to his watch ] Look, look - it's after six o'clock now. Why can't I have that cake? It's real important, honestly.. No, huh? [ pulls a large bill out of his wallet ] Well, uh.. I guess you wouldn't be interested in, uh.. say a.. bribe of some kind, huh?

[ Samurai angrily expels his sword, slicing the graduate peg from the cake, and carefully replaces it with a bride and groom peg; Samurai then wipes the excess icing off his sword with a cloth ]

Mr. Dantley: That's good! It's going to make a young couple very, very happy! [ helps Samurai slide the cake across the counter, onto another flat surface ] I can't believe that my brother is getting hitched after all these years. You know.. I introduced my brother to his fiancée.

[ curious, points from Mr. Dantley to the bride peg on the cake ]

Mr. Dantley: Mmm-hmm..

[ Samurai squeezes glaze from the tip of his sword, decorating the top of the cake ]

Mr. Dantley: Oh.. oh, that's real nice! [ continuing his story ] As a matter of fact, I not only introduced him to his fiancée.. I used to go out with her myself.

[ intrigued, the Samurai motions his sword up and down in his case to congratulate Mr. Dantley on his former relationship with his brother's fiancée ]

Mr. Dantley: [ laughing ] Well, that could be our little secret! By the way, what kind of cake is that under all that whipped cream? Is that chocolate?

Samurai: [ shakes head ] Mmm-mmm.

Mr. Dantley: Devil's food?

Samurai: [ shakes head ] Mmm-hmm.

Mr. Dantley: What?

[ Samurai motions his hands in a foppish manner ]

Mr. Dantley: Oh, fruit cake! My favorite! Boy, it's really a beauty. You.. you are a master baker!

Samurai: Hmm?? [ looks up, insulted at what he thought he heard, then relaxes ]

Mr. Dantley: How much do I owe you?

[ Samurai determines the price on his sword, giving the total to Mr. Dantley ]

Mr. Dantley: Terrific. [ pays up ] Now, listen, here's the problem. How am I gonna carry that cake home? Because I have to walk six blocks to get to my house.

[ not a problem for the Samurai, who who grabs the cake in one hand, and flat, unopened boxes wrapped with string in his other hand, then tosses them both into the air, extracting his sword from his holder and swinging at the cake and boxes as they crash to the floor; Samurai then reaches behind the counter and pulls up the cake, now individually boxed by layer and ties with string ]

Mr. Dantley: Ah! Thank you!

[ dissolve up title card ]

Announcer: Tune in next week, for another episode of.. "Samurai Bakery"!

[ fade ]

John Belushi as Samurai ~~.

One of my favourite all-time portrayals of a foreigner as a Japanese was the series of Saturday Night Live skits with John Belushi as a Samurai. He was Samurai Tailor, Samurai Delicatessen owner, etc.

Here's John (who's Armenian by the way) as Samurai Deli owner, talking his usual Japanese gibberish with Buck Henry as the customer. I admire his authentic style of returning the sword to his belt and his desire to commit 切腹 or seppuku (ritual suicide or "Happy Dispatch") when the order isn't perfect. (And you get Turkish subtitles!!)



And here he is in Samurai Garb performing with Frank Zappa!



Since those links don't work, try this.